An old Kansas Indian town on the Missouri

An
Old Kansas Indian Town

On
The Missouri

BY

GEORGE J. REMSBURG

Member of

International Society of Archaeologists
National Geographic Society, Ktc.

Gift of C. A. Kofoid

I H

An
Old Kansas Indian Town

On
The Missouri

BY
GEORGE J. REMSBURG

G. A. CHANDLER

Printer
Plymouth, Iowa

nil

EN FURIES ago mention was made by the French explorers
of the large or main village of the "Quans" on the southwest
bank of the Missouri river, about thirty leagues above the mouth of
the "Quans" river. The Quans were the Kansa or Konza Indians
from whom the state of Kansas derived its name. They were visit
ed by De Bourgmont, in 1724, while on his famous expedition to the
Fadoucas. The exact location of this noted old village of Bourg-
mont s time, heretofore, has never been defin itely determined, al
though the ruins of the old town on the Missouri were observed and
mentioned by explorers and travelers for many years subsequent ta
the early French explorations.

Professor Dunbar apparently, authentically, has designated At-
chison, Kansas as the site of the old village, while Kansas historians
generally evade the question by vaguely referring to the old Kaw
village "at" or "near the present site of Atchison, which is based
merely on an approximation of the distance above the Kansas and
Little Platte rivers, without taking into consideration the topograph
ical and other features so essential in determining such matters.
After carefully studying all available data bearing on the subject,
including the chronicles of most of the early explorers who mention
the old village, and inoroughly examining the whole region along
the Missouri river north 01 the Kansas, 1 have concluded that the
nistoric old town of Doniphari, five miles north of the city of Atchi
son, was the prehistoric capital of tne Kaws. The historical, topo
graphical and archaeological evidence adequately sustains such an
opinion. Before going into details I will succinctly give a few of
til? more important reasons for my belief that the old Kansas vil
lage was so located.

First Doniphan corresponds approximately with the distances
i hat the early explorers place the old village above the Kansas and
Little Platte rivers, and other defin Ite points on the Missouri.

Second -Lewis and Clark, and other explorers, who saw there-
laains of the old town explicitly state that it was a mile, or a little
above Independence creek.

Third Doniphan is the most ideal situation for an Indian vil
lage in that region, and the only desirable site for such a stewithin
a mile of Independence creek to the north.

Fourth The fine prairies, which may be seen from points sev
eral miles below; the bend in the river, and other natural features
at or near the old village site as recorded by the early explorers are
identifiable with the present townsite of Doniphan and vicinity.

Fifth The large amount of archaeological material, the prehis
toric relics, the graves and other such remains found at Doniphan
and vicinity indicate unmistakably that it was an important seat of
aboriginal occupancy.

Sixth Old settlers of undoubted reliability have seen on the
Doniphan townsite numerous hut rings or lodge circles of an anci
ent Indian village, and from their descriptions of the same they
were exactly similar to those of the later day villages of the Kansas
Indians at Manhattan, Valencia, Council Grove and other places, de
noting tha hemispheric earthen huts that these Indians are known
to have always constructed as their dwelling places.

In the summer of 1724 Captain Ecienne Veagard deBourgmont,
military com mander of the colony of Louisiana, set out on an over
land expedition from Fort Orleans to the village of the Kansas Ind
ians, on the Missouri river, and from there to the province of Pad-
oucas, or what is now known as the Comanche tribe of Indians, in
what is now Western Kansas. Bourgmont was accompanied by
Ensign Bellerive, Sieur Philip Renaudiere, mining engineer and dir
ector general of mines for the colony of Louisiana, five soldiers, three
Canadians, servants and 176 Missouri and Osage Indians command
ed by the grand chief of the former tribe. Bourgmont had previous
ly dispatched to the Kansas village several boatloads of merchandise
under command of Lieutenant Saint-Ange and guarded by eleven
soldiers. On tli2 afternoon of July 7, 1724, B our gn on t s party ar
rived on the east bank of the Missouri river, opposite the village of
the Kansas. The next morning they crossed in a pirogue, the
horses being swam over and the Indians transported on rafts. "We
debarked/ says Bourgmont, "within gunshot distance of of the vil
lage where we camped." Bourgmont s arrival was made an ocasion
of much demonstration. From July 8 to 24 the time was spent in
feasting, powwows, trading horses and peltries, making presents to
the Indians and getting ready for the journey to the Padoucas. The
river detachment arrived July 19. On the 24th the "grand departure
was made, or to use the words of Bourgmont, "we put ourselves in
battle array on the hight of th? village, the drum began to beat the
march and we marched away." The strange procession consisted

of Bourgmont s force, 300 Indian warriors with two grand chiefs and
fourteen war chiefs, 300 Indian women, 500 Indian children and 500
dogs carrying and draging provisions, etc. The object of the ex
pedition was to induce the Padoucas, who were friendly to the Span
ish, to enter into a treaty of peace and an alliance with the Missouri.
Kansas, Osage, Otoe and Iowa tribes, allies of the French, with
whom they (the Paducas) were at war. Bourgmont reached the
main village of the Padoucas October 18, 1724. A peace treaty and
alliance was effected and the party returned to Fort Orleans, arriv
ing November 5, 1724.

Bourgmont is very indefinite as to the location of the Kaws,
but Renoudiere, in his memorandum of the expedition, says that
thirty leagues above the "Quans" river "a small river flowing from
the north is found; here is the great village of the Quans, consisting
of 150 lodges adjoining the Missouri. There are fine prairies to the
south and many m:>j itains to the west." It is evident that this
chronicler of the Bourgmont expedition mistook Rock creek for the
main continuation of Independence creek. The general course of
the Independence is from a westerly direction, but about a mile and
a half above its mouth it takes a sharp turn to the south, flowing
straight in this direction lor nearly a mile when it makes another
acute turn to the east for about one-half of a mile to its mouth.
That part of the channel extending north and south is almost on a
straight line with that of Rock creek, the merging of the Independ
ence basin with that of Rock creek making a clearly defined valley
much more prominent than the main valley of Independence from
Rock creek westward. Corning as it does from the prairie the Inde
pendence valley at this point is not so noticeable as that of Rock
creek which is bordered by high hills, or many mountains," as Re-
rioudiere saw fit to term the prominent elevations lying west of the
Kansas village. Any person not acquainted with the country, look
ing north from near the mouth of the Independence would readily
cake the valley of Rock creek for the main trend or continuation of
Independence valley. The "fine prairies," mentioned by Renoudiere
are readily noticeable off south and southwest of Doniphan. In fact
the country south and west of Doniphan tallies almost exactly with
the descriptions given in the journals of the expedition; for instance
Bourgmont mentions that a half league southwest of the Kansas vil
lage a small river was passed. Independence creek is just about
that distance southeast of Doniphan. In another account we find
that shortly after leaving the village they "marched about a league
and a half along a river coming from the southwest." Deer creek
comes into the Independence near its mouth from a southwesterly

direction.

Those who passed up the Missouri river after the old Indian
town was deserted, noticed its ruins on the river bank and mention
it in their journals. Although Bourgmont mentions only one vil
lage of the Kansas, it will be noticed that the later explorers refer
to two old village sites of this tribe. The Kansas no doubt had sev-

" eral villages on the Missouri at different periods, though the "sec
ond" village site mentioned by Lewis and Clark and others was the
main, and perhaps the only, village of the tribe at the time of Bourg-
mont s visit. It is hardly likely that the "first" or lower village was
contemporaneous with the upper, lor in sue a wise Bourgmont
would have mentioned it. On the contrary, it is more pro uable
that the lower v^iage Cither belonged to an earlier period or occu
pancy, or had not been such an extensive and long existent popu
lace as the upper, for Lewis and Clark state that ih.-re were no
traces of the former left, while the remains of the L^er were still
visible to the extent that it appeared to have once been a large town.
Traces of an Indian viLage may still be seen at the lower sue (Sajt
creek valley), but it requires the scrutiny of an antiquarian to iden-

"tify its location, the indica being scarcely visible to the casual eye.
Perrin da Lac, in 1802, says that thirty-five miles above the
mouth of the Kansas, on the Missouri river, his party found one of
the old villages of the Kansas, and twenty-two. miles beyond this the
other. Hon. J. V. Brower, in his "Missouri River" published in 1897
gives the distance by river channel from the Kansas river to the
Fort Leavenworth bridge as thirty-two miles, vvhich would make it
just about thirtyfive miles to Salt creek where there are evidences
of an Indian village site on the farm ot Mr. Thomas Daniels. From
Salt creek to Doniphan, the distance by river channel is, approxi
mately, somewhere in the neighborhood of twenty-two miles.

"Three miles before we arrived at the last village," says Du
Lac, "we percieved some iron ore." Along the bluffs, three miles
below Doniphan, the rocks are impregnated to a considerable ex
tent with iron. Lewis and Clark, in 1804, mention the remains of
both of the old villages, the first t vventy-eight miles above Little
River Platte, the second twenty-eight miles above the first. It might
be incidentally stated that the slight variations in distances as given
by the different explorers is accounted for by the fact that the chan
nel mileage of the Missouri river does not remain the same for any
long period, the stream shifting its course at frequent intervals.

On July 4, 1804, Lewis and Clark discovered a stream about
thirty yards wide, which they named Independence, in honor of the

4

Typical Kansas Artifacts

1. Discoidal Stone. 2. Flint Hoe. 3. Stone Pipe. 4. Flint Drill.
5. Flint Knife. 6. Flint Tomahawk.

day. To quote their journal, they "came along the bank of an ex
tensive and beautiiul prairie, interspersed with copses of timber and
watered by Independence creek. On this bank formerly stood the
second village of the Kansas. From the remains it must have been
a large town." "On this bank stood the village" signifies on the bank
of the prairie, and not on the bank of Independence creek, for in an
other place in their journal (p. 1253 Cone s Lewis and Clark) they
debi^ncue a mile abuve Inuepeiiut^ice creek" as the situation of
the old village If the village was anywhere within a mile of the
Independence to the north, it must have been where Doniphan now
stands, for that is the only desirable suuation f >r a i Indian villain,
within that distance from the ceeek. Shortly after leaving the old
village site Lewis and Clark passed a small stream which they call
ed Yellow Ochre cree.v, from a bank of that mineral a little above
it. About three miles above Doniphan, at Geary, there empties in
to the Missouri a small stream called Brush Creek, which was doubt
less the "Yellow Ochre" of Lewis and Clark s day, i jr me "bank"
of that mineral from which they so named the stream is vis ible "a
little above" the creek, as they stated. C. B. Roundy, of Geary, once
sent some of that mineral subscance to be e id.nmed by experts and
they pronounced it "ochre of poor quality."

Sergent Floyd, of the Lewis and Clark expedition, in an indiv
idual diary, speaks of Independence creek coming out of an "exten
sive prairie, open and high, which may be seen six or seven miles
below." Brackenridge, in 1811, also mentions the fine view of
the prairies and the old village sire, which could be obtained below.
The country about Doniphan may be seen very plainly from the
Aiciiison biic!ge, and even as fai down as the bend of the river be
low Atchison. John Bradbury, in his "Travels in the Interior of
America," 1333-10-11, mentions goin^ ashore at the old Kansas vil
lage and noting the ^reat fertility of tne soil and the abundance of
hops, but is indefin ite as to its location. However taking into
consideration the natural features of the country as depicted in that
portion of his journal leading up to the old village site, they corre
spond pretty closely to existing topographical conditions, and point
consentaneously with the narratives of Lewis and Clark and others
to Doniphan, as the seat of Kaw occupancy in Bourgmont s time.
H. M. Brackenridge, in the journal of his voyage up the Missouri
in 1811, mentions the old village as follows; "High prairies south
west side continued under sail through another long stretch ( of
prairie) and had a fine view of the old Kansas village at the upper
end of it. It is high prairie, srmoth waving hills, perfectly green,
with a few clumps of trees in the hollows. It was formerly a vil-

lage of the old Kansas nation. But for the scarcity of wood this
would be a delightful situation for a town. At this place the bend
of the river rendered the wind unfavorable." He also mentions the
old Indian pathways along the sides of the hills and down to the
river. Luther Dickerson and other early settlers recall that these
old Indian paths or trails were plainly visible, leading out in almost
every direction from Doniphan in the early days, and some of them
where not too much disturbed by cultivation, may yet be observed.
Major Stephen H. Long, while on his celebrated expedition to the
Rocky mountains in 1819-20, says that after leaving Isle au Vache,
"we proceeded in the course of the day about twenty-three miles
and encamped at night near the entrance of a small scream called
Independence creek. A little above, (Independence creek), and on
the south side of the river, is the site of an old Konza town, called
formerly the village of the twenty-four." Major Lon^, in his jour
nal and on his map, places the old village "a little above Independ
ence creek," or at about the present townsite of Doniphan. Major
Long is the only one of the early explorors who alludes to the old In
dian town as the Village of the twenty-four." I have somewhere
seen it alluded to as the "village of the Big Four." The reasons for
these appelations seem to be obscure, or at least I can find no ex
planation of them. Isle au Vache, or Cow island, is in the Missouri
river, near the southern line of Atchison county. Councils were
held with the Kaw Indians on this island in 1819, and later when
th? tribe lived on the Kansas river.

The late Hon. Luther Dickerson, who was generally known as
the oldest inhabitant" of this region, says there can be no doubt
about the site of Doniphan having been occupied by an Indian vil
lage in prehistoric times. Mr. Dickerson came here in June, 1854,
and often visited the present site of Doniphan before the pioneer
settlers selected it as a townsite. He says that the old Indian lodge
circles, with fire pits in the center, were plainly visible in many
places in Doniphan in the early days. These, were especially notice
able where the public school building now stands. The earth in
many places was intermingled with charcoal, ashes, and other de
bris of the Indian village. Mr. Dickerson says that as near as he
can remember the rings or circles where the Indian wigwams stood
and which were quite numerous, were about twenty feet in diameter
and in the center of each was a cavity filled with ashes and char
coal. Professor Say, who visited the Kansas Indians in their village
near the present town of Manhatten in 1819, says that the ground
area of each lodge was circular, and that the fireplace was a simple
cavity in the center of the apartment. On the Kansas river, wher-

ever the Kaws had their later day villages, these circles in the earth
are still to be seen.

Judge W. H. H. Curtis, of Troy, who was one of the early set
tlers of Doniphan, in response to inquires, writes that from his own
observations, as well as from the statements of the late James F. and
John W. Forman, the Doniphan pioneers, he is convinced that Doni
phan was the site of an important Indian village. "I have heard
James F. Fonnan and ins Biuuici, Julm Vv r . Foniian, talk about the
ancient village," says Mr. Curtis, and further adds that they were
firm in the belief that the ancient Indian village existed there. The
Forman brothers came to that vicinity as Indian trader? long before
Kansas was open for settlement. They surveyed and platted the
townsite of Doniphan. Mr. Curtis own observations lead him to
believe that the ancient village "circled around the spot where Don
iphan now stands; or more correctly speaking, the village must
have been in the form of a crescent, extending from east to west, at
the north outskirts of what is now the townsite proper . . . When
a boy I saw many Indian relics near Doniphan," continues Mr. Cur
tis, "and I know of many others who have found axes, arrow and
spear heads, human bones, and what appear to have been old bury
ing grounds both east and west of Doniphan."

Isaac F. Weyer, the "village blacksmith" of Doniphan, who liv
ed there nearly fifty years, also recalls having heard the Forman
brothers speak about the remains of an ancient village at Doniphan
and says he has always heard a tradition that there was once a
large Indian town at or near that place. W. H. Nesbit, one of the
founders of Doniphan, says that at an early day large masses of
charcoal, pottery and other burnt substances were exposed by the
caving or washing away of the banks of the small creek which
flows through Doniphan. He also says that the rock shelters or
small caverns in the sides of the high bluffs about Doniphan con
tained the bones of Indians; with pottery vessels, arrowheads, etc.
The late T. J. Ingals, of Atchison, who was as well acquainted
around Doniphan as any other man, and who was a close observer
along natural history and archaeolo iical lines, wrote me May 27,
1904; "I should think from the number of graves and stone relics
found in and about Doniphan that it was vastly populated at some
time in the past. Not only on the George Brenner land, but through
out the old townsite the loose stones scattered about over the sur
face and even under the surface, show marks of fire." Mr. Ingels
has done much prospecting for water and drilled many wells in that
vicinity and had excellent opportunity for observation. The writer
once found a lot of burned stones, together with burned earth and

pottery fragments, exposed by the caving of the creek bank just
south of the public school building in Doniphan. On another occas
ion I found a hammer stone projecting from the bank nearly two
feet below the surface. While strolling along the main street of
Doniphan on October 19, 1903, 1 picked up three flint arrow points,
and Observed numerous chips or spalls of flint that had washed
from a small gully at one side of the thoroughfare. The late Rich
ard Dempsey, an old resident, and for many years road supervisor
in that vicinity, informed the writer that in making grades on the
roads he had occasionally turned up baked clay, charcoal, pstshards
and fragments of stone implements. When th j roadbed of the old
A. & N. railroad was made through Doniphan in 1869 the workmen
unearthed similar material and at the present time there is frequent
ly picked up, from the dirt which was thrown out alon this grade,
arrow points, hatchets, etc.

The late Frank Kitzmiller, of Highland, under date of April 20,
1894, wrote me: "I have been informed by several parties that many
Indian relics have been found at Doniphan, and from what I can
learn it must have been once occupied by an Indian village. I
understand that the rubbish of the old tepees is occasionally met
with in digging trenches and making other excavations. One man
there has promised to bring me a lot of stone relics which he plow
ed up in the town of Doniphan." Mr. Kitzmiller had an interesting
collection oi Indian relics gathered in Doniphan county. Mrs. Jane
Spencer says that in making excavations on her farm just north of
town pottery has been unearthed. Mrs. Spencer came to Doniphan
with her late husband in 1855. At that time there was evidence of
an Indian graveyard on the land which they pre-empted and on
which she still lives. Many wagonloads of loose limestones were
hauled from a field on their farm. Sae has observed numerous Ind
ian relics and has several in her possession now. Thomas Logan
reports numerous evidences of Indian occupancy on his farm near
Doniphan. James A. Dunning, of St. Joseph, Mo., formerly of Don
iphan, writes that Indian relics were so very common there in the
early days that but little attention was paid to them. "I have gath
ered my hat full of arrowheads on the creek bank; also stone axes
and war clubs by the dozens. Years after, in plowing over my fath
er s farm, we have picked up beads and pottery, the latter being
similar to that I have seen from the cliff dwellings/ Joseph Geis-
endorf says he has found many stone relics on the same farm.
Charles Kuch, the postmaster at Doniphan, says that the boys have
gathered innumerable arrowpoints on the land occupied by the
Brenner vinyards, and N. G. Brenner corroborates this statement

8

and says he has found hundreds of them himself on the same ground
Indian burial mounds and graves are numerous on the hills sur
rounding Doniphan. External evidences of many of these sepulch-
ers have been obliterated, but here and there may still be seen lime
stone slabs set in the ground in regular order, or piled up irregular
ly, to mark, the last resting place of some aboriginal denizen of
Doniphan. In some instances these graves may belong to the Sac
and Foxes, or other modern ludiaus, uut u is oellev^d that the ma
jority of them belonged to the ancient Kaws. Rev. Isaac McCoy, a
missionary among the Western Indians at an early day, speaking of
the Kaw methods of burial, says: "They frequently deposited the
dead on or near the surface and raised over the corpse a heap of
stones." Hon. George P. Moorehouse, of Council Grove, who has
seen and studied the Kavvs, when they lived at that place, says that
he has often noticed their graves, usually on top of some near bluff
or high ground, and that they were often covered w r it h slabs of lime
stone. Mrs. Mary J. Forman, widow of tfie Doniphan pioneer, John
W. Forman, writes from Canton, Mo.: "On the hill west of the
John Forman residence (since owned by George Brenner) there
were indications of an Indian graveyard, piles of rock seeming to
have been used as monuments or to mark some place of note." Mrs.
Jane Spencer mentions similar graves on her farm at an early day.
L. Clem, who has lived in that vicinity about thirty years and who
has hunted throughout that region, observed many such piles of
stone when he first located there. Luther Dickerson says there are
several small mounds on land belonging to J.P. Brown, of Atchison
on the river bluffs south of Independence creek. H. J. Adams, of
Leroy, Kas., a son of the iate Secretary Adams, of the Kansas His
torical Society, who formerly lived near Doniphan, while digging a
cellar on the crest of a river bluff south of Independence creek, in
1868, exhumed the skeleton of an Indian. It was about two feet be
low the surface and covered with stones. James Eylar reports sev
eral graves just north of Doniphan, and in the same neighborhood
"firepits on top of the river bluff, in which the charred bones resem
bling those of human beings." He also mentions a grave on Inde
pendence creek west of Doniphan in which was found a human
skeleton, together. with a small headless image and some beads.
There were also traces of fire in this grave. Further west, on the
Auld farm, are other graves, near which have been found many
stone axes.

Several years ago the writer, accompanied by T. J. Ingels, of
Atchison, and C. A. Bruner, of Oak Mills, opened a stone mound on
the high hill west of Doniphan, but it had either been despoiled of

its contents by relic hunters or else the descendents of the dead war*
ior had removed his remains to another place, for not even a human
bone remained in it. Early settlers recall having seen the Indians
come to this place at an early day, and after weird ceremonies, ex
hume the remains of dead Indians and carry them away. Where
.they came from and whither they went was never learned.

On another hill on the farm of John Myers, near the junction of
Independence and Rock creeks, the writer, assisted by J. B. Loftin,
an intelligent citizen of that vicinity, explored an Indian mound.
This mound was originally covered with stones, but most of them
had been removed by Mr. Meyers in cultivating th j land. The con
tents of the mound consisted of human remains, badly charred by
fire, pieces of burned wjod and charcoal, numerous ghss and por
celain and bone beads, two silver (?) finger rings, a silver breast
plate, fragments of silver ear bobs, fragments of a copper bracelet,
fragments of an iron kettle, fragments of an old-fashion ?d decorated
porcelain plate ; fragments of bone instruments, a piece of steel evi
dently used as a fire striker, many flint spalls and some particles of
vermillion, all in a confused mass. Everything indicated that this
was the remains of a "scaffold" or "tree burial" which after tumbl
ing down, had been swept by prairie fires and later gathered up and
deposited, without regularity, in a stone sepulchre.

Dr. R. S. Dinsmore, of Troy, Kansas, has gathered many fine
Indian artifacts from the vicinity of Doniphan, and opened a small
burial mound near the place that evidently had been opened before
and despoiled of its contents. Dr. Dinsmore and M. E. Zimmerman
and Edward Park, of White Cloud, have fine collections, mostly
gathered in Doniphan County.

The writer has examined many Indian village sites in Kansas,
but there has never come under his observation a more ideal locat
ion for a permanent seat of aboriginal habitation than at the old
townsite of Doniphan. Situated about midway of the great west
ern bend of the Missouri, or the grande detour of the Missouri, as
the French voyageurs called it; encircled by a chain of high hills,
with a gap on the east which afforded the villagers a splendid view
of and easy access to the river, and through which they could read
ily perceive the approach of an enemy on the water; while the over
towering hills at almost every point of the compass provided natur
al watch towers where they could guard against the enroachments
of a foe from the broad prairie that stretches off in every direction;
a small stream flowing through this natural basin, fed by several
fine springs, afforded a constant supply of fresh water to the occu
pants of the village, while just over the devide to the west and

10

southwest three larger streams, one of them navigable for canoes,
unite before mingling their limpid waters with the murky Missouri.
Surrounded by every natural advantage and resource, Doniphan is
an ideal dwelling place for either savage or civilized man. The old
Kansas Herd Book thus describes it: "Doniphan stands where the
corkscrew Missouri makes a sharp turn to the west and is hurled
back upon itself by a high wooded bluff. To north and south rise
heavily timbered bluffs, dipping to form the level bottom upon
which the town lies nestled from the prevailing storm currents of
winter." Hon. Sol Miller s famous historical edition of the Kansas
Chief says that Doniphan is one of the finest natural townsites on
the Missouri river. Brackenridge, one of the old -explorers, speaks
of it as "a delightful situation for a town."

11

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